


Seven Days of Soul Friends

by mimikeyu



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Everyone's Bisexual Probably, Gen, M/M, Past Abuse, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, Spoilers, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 14:45:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6663007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimikeyu/pseuds/mimikeyu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.”  Some DR2 AU's, focused mainly on Hajime and Kazuichi.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Monday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just... really love these nerds and I wanted an excuse for some hurt/comfort shit - expect more when I get motivated!

It's a Monday afternoon and he's with the others in Jabberwock Park. They tend to stick together most of the time now – still secretly afraid, deep down, that if one strays too far from the rest, the world would fall apart around them. They don't like to admit it but those last days in particular had been particularly damaging on all of them. Nagito... Chiaki... The Final Class Trial.

They're back in the real world now – five Ultimates, because how could Hajime not be considered an Ultimate student after all he'd done to save them during the Trials on the virtual island? He'd brushed it off at first when Sonia had proposed it, initially. He felt it would have been a lie to live as the Ultimate Hope. A stolen title from a life he had now rejected.

No one had spoken Izuru Kamukura's name since returning to the real world. He was still Hajime. A Hajime who had, admittedly, turned down the title of Ultimate Soul Friend – though he had totally insisted it was because that was a title that he and Kazuichi should share with one another. He'd liked that suggestion. For the first time in a long time, he'd cried with happiness about it that night once he was alone in the safety of his cottage. Not that he'd admit it if anyone were to ask...

No, Hajime Hinata had been bestowed the title of the Ultimate Future. A title unlike any other. One he could be proud of. As a distraction, more than anything else, the five of them had celebrated Hajime's inauguration over burgers and drinks over on the Second Island.

But life goes on, and here they are on a Monday afternoon in a would-be tropical paradise. They've realised that being back in the real world means they have responsibilities now, even if its only for the sake of keeping themselves busy as they try to come to terms with everything they've went through.

On the virtual island, the grass never grew out or needed cut; the beaches never needed cleaned of flotsam and jetsam that had come from across the ocean; the buildings never needed restocked with food or drinks or supplies of any sort. If it hadn't been for Monokuma's arrival, it would have been like a dream come true.

Reality wasn't so kind though, and so, as soon as they were recovered enough to get to work, they started things off from the Central Island and had worked their way out. The rest of the Remnants of Despair – no, the rest of their friends – lay comatose in the hospital, still sealed within their Neo World Program pods. The only way to open them was for their occupants to wake up, and so far there hadn't been a sign of that happening anytime soon.

He's been cleaning the statue with Hajime for at least an hour or so now. It's pretty impressive seeing it stand tall and gleaming and not snarling or alive like the Monobeasts. He tries not to pay much attention to his reflection in the smoother surfaces. None of them have changed as radically as Hiyoko seemed to have during her time at Hope's Peak – though they had put that down to her hormones simply kicking in all in one go, apparently. Even still, it was the little changes in their appearances that had made things very strange to get used to at first...

Thankfully, he hadn't been one of the few who had harvested Junko's body for parts, but even then he had still been horrified to discover the scars and burns that marked his body. Even worse was the realisation that at least some of them had been from self-inflicted injuries. He shudders at the idea.

Fuyuhiko and Akane are mowing the grass nearby with two small petrol lawnmowers they had found at the Market, and as the warm tropical breeze carries across the Island, he finds the scent of the freshly cut grass sparking something in his memories.

He's taken back to a time before the Tragedy. Before Junko Enoshima.

He reads manga and engineering manuals under the shade of a large tree on the far side of the Hope's Peak campus. The warmth of the sunlight that filters through the branches never really manages to fend off the cold ache in his chest or the numb ache in his arms, adorned with bruises he had never deserved.

He could have stayed under that tree forever, and not a single person would have noticed, he had thought at the time. Not a single person would have ever come looking. He knew he was right because no one ever had before.

He had been hidden in plain sight there, and the world had passed him by.

He had been lonely. He had always been lonely. But was that why he had fallen into despair? Was that how Junko had used him?

The present seems to snap back into place around him and he realises Hajime is looking at him with concern. Hajime...

“Hey, are you okay?” his soul friend asks, quietly, so as not to worry the others. He furrows his brow and reaches over to a place a hand on his shoulder.

“I just remembered a little from before,” he replies, uncertainly.  He wants to pull his beanie down over his face but if he were to let go right now he would only injure himself. “Hajime... I don't... I don't think I wanna remember.” He can feel the tears forming in his eyes even before the stinging starts. Hajime gestures for him to get down off the statue.

“Here, c'mon,” he says, gently leading him by the hand over to the plastic bag emblazoned with the Rocketpunch Market logo that's been left in the shade of one of the Future Foundation monitors. He fumbles around in it for a second before retrieving a bottle of cola. “I remembered to bring plenty with us.” He uncaps it and passes it over gently. “Here, drink up, you'll feel better.”

They sit down together on the grass while he wipes the tears from his face and takes a swig of cola. Hajime rubs his back comfortingly, and he feels the butterflies in his stomach flutter – not for the first time.

There's plenty of reasons Kazuichi considers Hajime his soul friend. This is only one.


	2. Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazuichi has a lot on his mind, and Movie Night with his friends is a perfect distraction. Except they're on Jabberwock Island, so of course it isn't.

In a perfect world, there had been no murders, Monokuma had never appeared, and the sixteen classmates had lived on Jabberwock Island in as much peace as was humanly possible between sixteen very different people.

Their second week together, Byakuya, who had – for some unknown reason – decided they needed a leader, proposed a movie night at the Cinema on the Third Island. And so, that Tuesday night, the students had made their way over there, enthusiastic to see what the night had in store.

Bonds had begun to form between them now, and even Kazuichi had found himself making a shaky attempt at conversation with a few of the others. Of course, some were friendlier than others. People like Gundham and Nagito just kind of creeped him out, Hiyoko and Mahiru were a little hostile, and then there were others like Ibuki and Akane who were maybe just a little _too_ overwhelming for him... but then there was a select few amongst the group who were more down to Earth.

Miss Sonia, for one, of course, was the girl any guy would be totally blessed to be acknowledged by. Beautiful and intelligent, for starters. And then, despite the fact she had such rank and social standing, she was a genuinely nice person. Really, she was the obvious choice for 'girl of someone's dreams'. That'd be, of course, if she ever got round to acknowledging his existence beyond the occasional conversations. Circumstance always seemed to be preventing that, though.

Then there was Chiaki. Admittedly, she was really cute, and Kazuichi had spent a few pretty fun afternoons in her company playing Mario Kart on two old DS consoles he'd found on the Third Island and fixed up. She wasn't always the best conversationalist though, so sometimes they had found themselves falling into long, awkward silences. Maybe they were just best suited as friends...

But when those quiet lapses had come, there was always Hajime. Hajime had actually been the first of his new classmates to approach him one-on-one on their first day, and from there on out he'd been a sort of calming influence on him. After those first couple of days when enjoying the tropical life had started to nose-dive into a bubbling pool of anxiety, Hajime had been the one to come to his rescue and see him through the initial panic.

Deep down though, he couldn't find the right words to describe how exactly he felt about him – and that was scary... Back home, back in normality, he knew he wouldn't have entertained the idea for a second. He knew his folks would have entertained it for even less. He'd learned that the hard way before. Hell, his folks didn't really entertain anything he did that wasn't working in the bike shop.

That was back then though, and this was now. Maybe this indefinite school trip was his chance to come out of his shell. He didn't have to be on his own anymore!

That realisation had dawned on him as he'd arrived at the Cinema, and he'd walked in feeling a lot more at peace than he had for a long time. Byakuya stood closest to the door that lead into the screen room, with his arms folded across his considerable bulk. He peered at Kazuichi and raised an eyebrow.

“It would seem we're all finally here,” he said. “Now rejoice, as I've decided we should choose what film to watch by majority vote.”

“Oh, oh, oh! It's gotta be something _scary_!” Hiyoko yelled, with a wicked grin on her face as she looked over the lobby to where Mikan was trying not to trip over the velvet ropes that had been piled up in the far corner. “That dumb bitch won't be able to handle it!”

“A-actually, I really like h-horror films,” the nurse squeaked, stumbling over her own feet and catching herself against the ticket booth. “There's l-loads of fun things in th-those kind of movies!”

Hiyoko rolled her eyes, her lip curling in disgust.

“A horror film also has my vote!” Sonia cried, her eyes lighting up. Of course – it had only been the other day Kazuichi had overheard Sonia enthusiastically telling a bemused Hajime about her obsession with serial killers. He felt his gut twitch a little.

“Ibuki's with them! Ibuki's with them!” cheered Ibuki, practically leaping into the air. Kazuichi felt his mood take a sudden nosedive. He wasn't particularly a fan of scary stuff...

“Alright, alright, to save everyone shouting out, let's have a show of hands for a horror film,” Byakuya said. “This is your leader's order.”

And hand after hand rose, until Kazuichi, Chiaki, Teruteru, and Byakuya seemed to be completely outnumbered. Kazuichi suspected Fuyuhiko had only agreed to see a horror film to keep up his tough guy facade, and Nagito had probably only agreed just because the majority had went for it.

Byakuya didn't seem particularly phased by their decision, but he sighed before he announced that it looked like they were all going to be watching a horror film. Hiyoko and Ibuki whooped, and bolted for the food stands on the other side of the lobby.

Kazuichi found himself pulling a face. “Can't the rest of us just go see something else?”

“No,” Byakuya said firmly. “If you'll recall what Usami informed us, only by us all bonding with one another will we find our way off this island. Therefore, we need to stay together on occasions such as this. This is your leader's order.”

“Aw man!” he whimpered, and dragged himself over to join the rabble over by the food stands. Akane already had the ketchup and mustard remains of a hot dog smeared over her face, and Hiyoko was taking great joy in snatching things from Mikan's hands as soon as she'd picked them up.

“I'm not really into horror films either,” Chiaki sighed, joining him by the drinks dispenser. “But it looks like the others seem to really like them.”

“I'm kinda squeamish,” Kazuichi admitted, uncomfortably. He held a cup under the nozzle and tapped the button for Cola. “All that blood and gore and stuff really gives me the creeps.”

Chiaki looked troubled for a moment, but then her expression was replaced with tiredness as she gave a loud yawn.

“Maybe... I can just nap... while the movie's on.”

She wandered away, and Kazuichi raised an eyebrow, wondering how on Earth anyone could nod off during a horror film. I guess if anyone can, it's her, he thought. He fought the lid onto his cup of cola and turned to see if there was any food left.

“Don't take the gummy bears, you trashy slut!” Hiyoko shrieked, snatching yet another packet from Mikan. She gave out a wail and fell back into the hot dog stand, sending it crashing to the floor, and tangling herself in the wires that lead from the stand into a nearby wall socket.

Kazuichi sighed and gave a disinterested slurp of cola as Mahiru and Peko leapt over to rescue a mortified Mikan from amongst the wires. Hajime appeared beside him with a huge bag of popcorn.

“Hey, wanna sit with me?” he said.

Kazuichi, caught offguard, spluttered as he inhaled and gagged on his straw. “H-Hajime!”

“Oh, s-sorry!” Hajime stammered, flushing red. “It was just that Chiaki said she was probably gonna sleep through the movie, but I'd already got the popcorn, so...” He trailed off, looking a little embarrassed.

Kazuichi bit his lip, trying to hold back his enthusiasm. “Y-yeah, sure,” he said, feigning indifference. “You... want a soda?”

“My, my, that's very forward of you, Souda,” piped up Nagito, appearing at Hajime's shoulder. He flashed that innocent smile he always did when he knew he'd said something to make a situation awkward.

“N-Nagito!” yelped Kazuichi, feeling his face burning. He looked at Hajime in a panic, saw he was blushing too, and found himself looking away again.

“Um... let's... let's go in,” Hajime said, stepping around Nagito and crossing the lobby to the open theater door. Kazuichi glanced at Nagito, who's mouth twitched in another smile, and then hurried off after Hajime.

 

 

* * *

They took their seats in the back row, with Hajime in between Chiaki and Kazuichi, and settled themselves while they waited for the movie to start. Byakuya had tasked Nekomaru with setting up the film reel in the room upstairs. Kazuichi couldn't tell whether the weird noises he was hearing was Nekomaru rumbling around upstairs, or the pounding dread as his anxiety started to pulse through his head.

There was a flash of light from above, and the huge screen at the front of the room came to life. Low, ominous music began to play through the theater, and Kazuichi flinched as a loud roll of thunder and flash of lightning filled the screen.

Oh, please kill me now, Kazuichi thought, sinking down lower into his chair.

 * * *

Ten minutes into the film, and several murdered teenagers later, he was on an amber alert for full-scale panic. Out of nerves, he'd pretty much finished his cola as soon as the film had started, and now he didn't have anything else to distract himself with. He trembled and started to fiddle nervously with his braid.

Suddenly, from out of the darkness, something reached out and touched his shoulder and he shrieked and fell out of his seat.

“Shut the hell up, you dumbass!” screeched Hiyoko from down front. There were a few murmurs of agreement, and Kazuichi whimpered as he glanced up to see Hajime leaning down to help him up.

“I didn't mean to scare you, sorry. I... I was just trying to ask if you wanted any popcorn,” he whispered. Kazuichi's lip trembled and he took Hajime's hand and got back up into his seat. From the light cast from the screen, he could just make out Hajime's concerned expression.

“I... I'm okay,” Kazuichi murmured, letting go of his hand and slumping down again.

A loud scream suddenly filled the air as the masked killer arrived onscreen, clutching a severed head. Kazuichi bit back a yelp and subconsciously reached out to grab at Hajime's arm. He felt Hajime tense a little, but then he seemed to settle again. He glanced up with wet eyes.

“S-sorry,” he whimpered. “I'm no good at this.”

“It's fine, don't worry,” Hajime whispered. He patted the back of his hand, and gave a small smile. Kazuichi froze, trapped in the moment as a strange rush of emotion surged through him, dispelling his fear. A single, ridiculous thought came to mind. An urge, really. What if he were to lean up just a little... What if he were to kiss him, right here, at the back of the theater? That'd be pretty romantic, right? He'd heard of people doing that sort of thing on dates and stuff...

But this wasn't a date. This was just friends – still barely more than strangers – having a night out together.

But what if he kissed him?

“Uh, Kazuichi, are you okay?” Hajime murmured. “You look kinda spaced out.”

“Huh?” The moment was lost. Kazuichi was thankful for the darkness of the theater as he felt his face turning red again. His ears were burning beneath his beanie. Jeez, what was going on with him tonight?

“D'you feel sick? You look a little dizzy.” Hajime's brows furrowed with concern. Kazuichi realised he was still clutching his arm.

“I-I'm just a little... uh, is it okay if I just like... hold on to your arm?” He felt ridiculous for asking, but if he was being honest, it was a genuine comfort to have him so close. Hajime seemed a little taken aback for a second, but then he nodded and gave him another smile.

“Yeah, sure, if it helps,” he whispered.

Kazuichi kept his grip on Hajime's arm, tight, but not enough that it would hurt him, and he felt himself relax. He dared a glimpse past Hajime to see Chiaki, completely asleep on the other side of him. She snuffled in her sleep and her head lolled to gently rest on Hajime's shoulder. Hajime looked from Chiaki and then to Kazuichi with an amused expression and they both stifled a laugh.

They must have looked quite a sight, Kazuichi thought. Hajime in the middle, pinned between the girl rested on his shoulder and the boy clutched to his arm. He found himself grinning. This might not happen again – he's gonna make the most of it.

 * * *

Two hours, and a veritable bloodbath later, the film was at an end. Kazuichi hadn't been glued to Hajime the entire time, though he had maybe held on to him a little more than he had really needed to, on and off throughout the film. He'd buried his face in Hajime's shoulder at one point, and Hajime had responded by taking his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

Jesus, why was it the smallest gesture was enough to send him reeling?

He was twitchy when the lights rose in the theater, and he found himself teetering a little as he got to his feet. Hajime gently shook Chiaki awake, and she blearily rubbed her eyes and gave out a long yawn.

“You're really comfy, did you know?” she murmured, stretching her arms out and fighting another yawn. She looked up at Kazuichi. “Was the movie scary?”

Kazuichi went to reply, only for Hajime to butt in. “Scary? Nah! Kazuichi and me were laughing through it, y'know!” He winked at him. Kazuichi flashed a thumbs up.

“Uh, yeah, no biggie at all – it was totally lame!”

“Hey, crybaby, you done screaming for tonight?” sneered Hiyoko mockingly as she passed them and made her way back out the door to the lobby after Mahiru. Kazuichi sighed and turned away from the spawn of Satan, and back to Hajime and Chiaki. Hajime looked apologetic. Chiaki looked to have fallen asleep again.

“I guess we should get back now, huh?” Hajime said. “It's probably getting late.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Kazuichi mumbled uneasily. He slid his hands into the pockets of his jumpsuit and lead the way back out into the lobby.

 * * *

Kazuichi had bid Hajime and Chiaki farewell once they arrived back at their cottages, though he found himself lingering in the doorway maybe just a second or so longer as he waited for Hajime to head indoors.

He switched the lights on in his cottage and threw himself down onto the bed, gazing up at the canopy above his head and groaning loudly. He'd started the night feeling a rare flash of self-esteem, only to go ahead and become a lovesick puppy. What the hell was going on here?

Tropical air. It was the tropical air.

Shit, did something just move outside?

Kazuichi whimpered and sat upright on his bed, clutching at the covers as he craned his neck to try and get a look out the window where he was sure he had just seen something dart by.

Maybe it was just a seagull or something. Relax, Kazuichi, relax.

Uneasily, he lowered himself back down onto the bed, trying to slow his breathing down. He was almost calm again when there was a flash of movement from the window again. He sat upright and screamed as he caught sight of the masked figure at his window. The figure turned their head as there was the sound of several doors opening from all around, and disappeared in a flash.

The door started to rattle, and Kazuichi cowered back, terrified.

“Hey, Kazuichi! You okay in there?”

Hajime's voice. Kazuichi breathed a sigh of relief and shakily opened the door just a crack.

“Th-there was someone at my window!” he wailed, pulling his beanie down over his eyes.

“We know,” sighed Fuyuhiko, rolling his eyes. “It was that fuckin' she-devil, Hiyoko.”

He gestured with a thumb at Hiyoko, who had been standing next to Mahiru and smirking to herself – demonic mask in hand. She glared at Fuyuhiko and then burst into tears.

“I only wanted to make scaredy cat cry again!” she wailed, storming off.

“Hey, you shouldn't talk about girls like that!” snapped Mahiru, pointing a finger in Fuyuhiko's face. She tutted and then sighed, looking up to the heavens for a moment, “Look, now you've made her run off.”

“I'd say Kazuichi probably drew the short straw in this scenario,” Nekomaru chuckled, heartily. He reached out and patted Kazuichi's shoulder. “Take a shit – it'll relieve your tension!”

“Why is it always gotta be about 'shit' with you?!” Fuyuhiko demanded, throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

“If this is all that's going on, Ibuki's goin' back to her cottage!” cheered Ibuki, bouncing away. Teruteru removed his comb from his pocket and ran it through his hair.

“Perhaps I can keep you company, hm?” he said, raising an eyebrow, suggestively.

“Teruteru... don't,” Nagito said, firmly. Teruteru shot him a withering look, and trudged off back in the direction of his own cottage.

The others seemed to disband fairly quickly, and Kazuichi stayed by the door a moment longer, while Hajime stood on the threshold. Neither of them made an attempt to move. Finally, Hajime broke the silence.

“Uh, look... do you want to stay in my cottage tonight or something? You seem pretty shaken up.”

Kazuichi blinked. Was some all-powerful deity testing him, or teasing him? He played with his braid nervously for a second before answering.

“If... if that's okay. I don't think I wanna be alone right now.”

“Sure thing,” Hajime said. “D'you need any of your stuff?”

“Uh... just my contacts case,” Kazuichi murmured. He grabbed the small white case off the nightstand and turned off the light as he stepped out into the night air with Hajime. He glanced up at the sky as he fumbled with the key in the lock and smiled. “Hey, Hajime, um, thanks.”

“For what?” Hajime raised an eyebrow.

“For being there. You're kinda like my rock or something. Jeez, that sounds lame.”

“Just a little lame,” Hajime nodded teasingly. In the rush to find out why Kazuichi had been screaming, he hadn't had the chance to lock his front door, and he gestured for him to step inside.

“We can think of a better name,” Kazuichi said. He uncertainly crossed the room and sat down on the edge of Hajime's bed. There was one name for it he wanted to propose, but he wasn't certain how Hajime would react to it. “Oh, uh, yeah, I totally forgot to bring my covers through. I can just throw 'em on the floor and sleep there.”

Hajime shrugged. “We can just share mine if you like. I don't really hog the covers or anything. In fact, wait, d'you snore?”

“N-no,” Kazuichi lied.

“Then it's fine,” Hajime said. “What side d'you want?”

Kazuichi genuinely had no idea whether the anxious knot in his stomach was brought on from fear or hormones. “I don't mind,” he said.

“Well, you'll need the bedside table for your lenses, so you can have the outside,” Hajime said, kicking off his trainers.

“Sure,” Kazuichi nodded. Makes sense. Oh shit, he's taking his tie off. That shouldn't be hot. Why is that hot? Jesus, he's unbuttoning his shirt. Okay, act natural, act natural. “I don't have any pyjamas!”

_Why the fuck did I say that out loud? Why the fuck did I say that at all?_

Oh, this was a train wreck. _He_ was a train wreck. He prepared for Hajime to start laughing at him or something, but when he looked up again, Hajime was just sort of blinking at him.

“Oh, uh, it's okay, I just sleep in my underwear,” he said, shrugging off his shirt. Kazuichi fought the urge to stare. Hajime looked at him again for a long second. “Aren't you gonna get undressed?”

_This is ridiculous. Why did I let this happen?!_

“Um, oh, yeah, sorry.”

Hiding his flushed face, he kicked off his trainers and unzipped his jumpsuit, stepping out of it and leaving it in an untidy heap on the floor. He pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped that on top of the heap. He felt way too exposed – and that was with his beanie still on...

Hajime had already wriggled under the covers. “Oh, can you get the light?”

“Y-yeah, sure.”

Kazuichi took off his beanie, and placed it neatly on the table as he crossed over to the lightswitch. He flicked it, sending the room into darkness, and darted back over to the safety of the bed. His nerves were still a little over the place, but the stupid freaking butterflies in his stomach were providing a fairly awful distraction. He quickly plucked his lenses out and dropped them into his case and twisted both the lids back on before he finally sat back down on the bed. Hajime had pulled back the covers, and he shuffled under them without any bother.

And now he wanted to scream. The bed was barely big enough for the two of them together, and he was probably only a couple of inches apart from Hajime now – his back to him. His body heat and his scent were filling Kazuichi's head, and he never realised just how much he loved it.

A deep, dark little part of his mind wondered what Hajime's mouth tasted like. His eyes widened. This was not the time or the place to consider that.

“Hajime?” he murmured, sleepily, burying his head into their shared pillow. Hajime hummed an acknowledgement and slowly turned himself so they were both facing one another – almost nose-to-nose. Kazuichi inspected his stupid, stupid, attractive, dumb, pretty face for a few moments. “I thought of a name.”

“A name?” Hajime looked confused. Then realisation struck him and his face broke into a grin. “Oh, you mean for us two?”

Kazuichi nodded. “Okay, hear me out here. From here on out: we're soul friends.”

“Soul friends?” echoed Hajime. He seemed to consider this for a moment. “Yeah, sounds good. Soul friends. I like that.”

Thank god I'm lying down – I think my legs just went weak.

“G-good,” stammered Kazuichi. He could feel his heart going at a hundred miles per hour. “Well, uh, g'night then, Hajime.”

Hajime smiled.

“G'night, soul friend.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Kazuichi's cheek, and then rolled over again. Kazuichi froze, paralysed.

Did... did that just happen? For real?

He lifted a hand to his red-hot face and pressed it to his cheek. He was stunned. Surely that hadn't actually happened! He grinned up at the ceiling, and let his eyes slowly droop shut. What a way to end a day... jeez.

He drifted off, comforted at the thought of waking up with Hajime in the morning, and hopeful for what tomorrow might bring...


	3. (Space) Wednesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so bad at updating - sorry, ahh! But yeah, here's the chapter I genuinely considered just calling 'Gays in Space'. Space AU, yes! In which Chiaki's a human-cyborg (ooh!)

“You said this was gonna be _easy_ ,” hissed Kazuichi, clutching onto Hajime's arm as he peered over Chiaki's shoulder. They were in a long cylindrical corridor, ridged at various intervals, with large roundels along each side. The three were currently crowded around one of the roundels Kazuichi had prised from the wall, and Chiaki was now completely focused on its insides, fidgeting with wires and tapping at a touch pad within. Sirens were going off all around them, and the lights were flashing a deep, angry red as the security system had been alerted to their presence.

“Actually, Nagito said that,” Hajime pointed out, gently patting his hand.

The distant sound of rhythmic stomping from several corridors away suddenly reached their ears and Hajime tensed, even before Kazuichi's grip tightened. “Um, how far are you with that, Chiaki?”

“Nearly done... I think.”

“Not giving me much confidence here,” Hajime muttered, fumbling with the leather satchel at his side. Kazuichi whimpered, fingers twitching down to a small silver sphere clipped to his belt loop.

“Don't set that off,” Hajime told him, quietly. “That's our last resort.” He turned back to Chiaki. “Any luck?”

“Almost...”

“Not to rush you...” Kazuichi yelped in a panicky sing-song voice.

“Just a bit more,” Chiaki murmured, frowning at the interface. The thudding footfall was drawing closer now and Kazuichi and Hajime turned on the spot to face the end of the corridor where they knew they would be approaching from.

“You have a stun pulse in that bag, right?” Kazuichi asked Hajime. Hajime shook his head, still rifling through all the clutter within it. “ _Fuck_.”

“I locked them all away on the ship,” Hajime replied, talking more urgently as the stomping approached the nearest corridor. “Ibuki kept shocking herself.”

“Then what are you looking for?!” Kazuichi hissed, eyes wide in panic. “We've gotta _go_!”

“Got it!” Chiaki said, triumphantly. There was a whirring sound and what looked to be a shard of crystal popped from the inner workings into Chiaki's hand.

“Brilliant,” Hajime said, “now run!”

He grabbed her by the arm, and prised Kazuichi's into his grip, and the three of them turned as one, bolting in the opposite direction of their pursuers. The first flurry of laser fire came moments later, and Hajime ducked and threw the other two around the next turn in the corridor. Kazuichi squawked in panic and windmilled his arms as he tried to keep steady, and Chiaki skidded along the smooth metal floor for a moment before she reganed her balance and kept running.

Hajime stuck his hand back into the bag, wincing at the yelling and bursts of laser fire from behind them. Finally, he retrieved what he was looking for – a sleek monochromatic datapad. Still running, he swiped his hand over the screen, displaying a schematic of the Togami Group ship they were currently inside.

“Next right then another left'll take us to the airlock,” he said, loud enough for the other two to hear.

“Why are we going towards the airlock?!” Kazuichi cried. “Case you forgot, we weren't docked!”

“I have a plan,” Hajime replied. “Trust me.”

“You know I do,” Kazuichi hissed through gritted teeth.

“What's the plan, Hajime?” Chiaki asked.

“Right here,” he said as the trio approached an intersection in the corridors. They skidded round the next bend, and a large metal bulkhead came into view on their left. Hajime glanced at the keypad by the door. “Chiaki?”

“Got it,” she said with a determined nod, and pressed her hand to it. Her fingertips slid upwards, revealing tiny nodes that prodded around the keypad. Chiaki's eyes snapped open wide as she interfaced with the door control, and she recoiled her hand a moment later as the bulkhead swung open. Kazuichi, who had been hopping from foot to foot and glancing back the way they'd come from, was quick to throw himself through the space, and the other two jumped in after. Hajime stepped back out to pull the bulkhead over again, just in time to see the group of approaching guards.

“Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, _nope!_ ”

With a grunt, he hauled the bulkhead shut again, and there was a hiss as it sealed into place. Kazuichi was already dismantling the door control, and his shark-toothed grin as he stepped away from it gave Hajime a boost of confidence.

“ _Voila!_ ” he beamed. “That should buy us time.”

“Great,” Hajime nodded. “Here's where it gets complicated. C'mon.”

The corridor they were in now was far narrower than the one they had just ran in from, and they had to walk single file along a grille floor. The lights were still flashing red, but the sirens weren't ringing out. Hajime lead the way, glancing down at the datapad in his hand. Chiaki still had a determined look on her face, and she held her hand out as she walked along, twirling her fingertips as the sensors in her cybernetic implant felt the buzz of data from within the walls. Kazuichi followed behind, his trusty multitool in hand. Despite himself, he glanced back at the sealed bulkhead as if expecting it to simply swing open.

And then the metal buckled.

“Oh, shit,” Kazuichi breathed.

“They're cutting through,” Chiaki said. “I can see through their helmet cams. Some of their security systems could do with an upgrade, probably.”

“Okay, better speed up then,” Hajime nodded, and took off at a run. Kazuichi groaned loudly and rolled his eyes before chasing after the retreating forms of Hajime and Chiaki.

Their journey through the corridor only took them about half a minute, where they faced another door that Chiaki made quick work of. The door slid open with a hiss of air, and Hajime was quick to rush to a screen inset in the wall, holding his datapad up to it. The image onscreen – the Togami Group's emblem – was quickly replaced with a schematic of the ship. A flashing red blip indicated their current position.

“What's the plan then?” Kazuichi asked, tugging nervously at his braid. “And can we agree that next time we do something as freakin' _stupid_ as this we have an escape plan ready _before_ we leave the ship?”

“How long've we got, Chiaki?” Hajime asked, sweat dripping down his face.

“They're about halfway through the door,” she replied, frowning. “I'm not sure what you have in mind but I'd say you have about a minute and a half.”

“Perfect,” Hajime nodded. “Kazuichi, can I have that grav sphere, please?”

Kazuichi unclipped the silver sphere from his belt loop and handed it over, and peered at the screen to see what Hajime was doing.

“You're opening the airlock?!” he screeched. “You're gonna kill us!” He glanced over at the far side of the small chamber, where a large hexagonal door seal separated them from the vaccuum beyond. “The ship isn't close enough for that!”

“That's why I'm doing... this,” Hajime said, sliding up a menu. A small window opened on the top right of the screen, and Ibuki's face suddenly came into view.

“ _Ooh, you guys look serious!_ ” she commented through a crackle of feedback. “ _Everything going to plan?_ ”

“Does it seem like it?!” Kazuichi snapped.

“Ibuki, you need to get the _Mirai_ closer in range of the Togami ship,” Hajime said. “And you've got about a minute to do it.”

“ _Aye, aye, cap'n!_ ” she cried, enthusiastically. “ _Um... anywhere in particular?_ ”

“Look for the airlock closest to the back of the ship!”

“ _Will do! Um... and then what do I do?_ ”

“Get Nagito and Mikan to open the storage hatch.”

“Oh _no_!” Hajime turned to see Kazuichi backing away from him, hands raised in a panic. “You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, right?”

“He is... I think,” Chiaki said. “Only a few seconds left on that bulkhead.”

Ibuki had disappeared from the window onscreen, and Hajime gave Kazuichi an apologetic look.

“I had to improvise, sorry,” he said with a small shrug. He turned back to the screen for a moment and tapped a few commands in, before tucking the datapad back into his bag. “Okay, that's as far as I can get it. Hopefully Ibuki times this right.”

“We're gonna _diiiiiiie!_ ” Kazuichi cried, pulling his beanie down over his eyes. “This is crazy!”

“I'm sure Hajime knows what he's doing,” Chiaki said, tugging at Kazuichi's sleeve and leading him over to the hexagonal airlock seal where Hajime had beckoned them over. Much like the bulkhead they had already passed through, the airlock had a keypad beside it and Hajime sighed as it flashed up a message denying him access.

“Think you can get that last part, Chiaki?”

“Sure thing,” she nodded, and pressed her hand to the panel beside it. There was a shrill electronic burbling from the keypad and it flashed a green light of confirmation.

“Okay, we've got a few seconds – line up sideways,” Hajime said. “I'll go first. Don't let go of each other.”

He stood a few inches away from the seal, holding an arm back to hold onto Chiaki, who in turn held onto Kazuichi, who was still in a full-scale state of terror.

“Ready?” Hajime asked.

“No!” Kazuichi wailed.

“Sorry, Kazuichi!” yelled Hajime as the airlock slid open and he threw himself out head first. He twisted the silver sphere in his hand as he leaped, and instantly found his feet hitting a smooth, downward surface, like an enormous slide.

Kazuichi, who had been almost certain they were going to die instantly, opened his eyes to see that the three of them were rushing down what appeared to be an enormous sloping tunnel of glimmering light. He could make out the cold burn of countless stars, and the asteroid field ahead of them that they were falling straight down towards. He cried out and grabbed onto his beanie with his free hand as the tunnel of light seemed to curve violently to the side. It was like they were hoverboarding, and Kazuichi felt his stomach lurch as the first all-to familiar symptoms of motion-sickness kicked in. But at that very moment, that was the least of his worries.

“Where the fuck is the ship?!” he screamed, gazing down at the rapidly spinning light. The end of the tunnel – and the asteroid field – was drawing closer, but the _Mirai_ was nowhere in sight.

Hajime frowned. Surely Ibuki couldn't have missed them?

“There!” Chiaki cried, inclining her head downwards. Hajime couldn't see where she was looking, but Kazuichi could, and he almost sobbed with happiness as the familiar battered shape of the _Mirai_ came into view. It passed under them in an instant, and they watched, still sliding downwards, as it started to turn. The end of the tunnel was only another few seconds away, and for a long, terrible moment Kazuichi found himself wondering whether they would die from exposure to the void of space beyond the tunnel, or from being launched straight against the hull of their own ship.

And then, as the _Mirai_ settled into position at the very end of the tunnel, he saw movement as the storage hatch in the side of the hull slid open. Hajime bent his knees as they reached closer and closer.

“Jump!” he yelled, and without another thought, the three of them were airborne. The safety of the ship felt like a hundred miles away. No, it was barely inches away now. No! They'd made it!

There was a dull thud from somewhere behind them and Kazuichi yelled out several prayers and expletives between bouts of laboured breaths. He didn't care that he was upside down and buried headfirst in amongst a pile of large storage boxes. He didn't care that it was pitch black in the storage hold. He was just beyond happy to have survived.

He heard muffled voices from close by, and he kicked his legs out to try and dislodge himself from the boxes. With a great struggle, he finally managed to pull himself free, only to be sent toppling backwards as the ship lurched away with a roar of the engines from the back of the ship.

“Can someone turn these lights on?” Chiaki asked. “I can only half-see.” Her one cybernetic eye glowed pink in the dark, almost eerily.

“Oh, yes, sorry about that.” Nagito's voice called over from the far side of the hold. “Mikan tripped and knocked the power for the lights out when we were opening the hatch.”

“I-I'm sorry!” came Mikan's apologetic whimper. A moment later the lights fizzled on, illuminating the entire hold so brightly Kazuichi had to shield his eyes for a moment as they adjusted.

He glanced up at Nagito and Mikan who stood at the control hub on the raised platform above. Nagito gave them a cheerful wave, while Mikan just looked like she was going to cry. Chiaki sat, quite casually, on the edge of a large wooden crate. From the far end of the hold, Hajime emerged from amongst a pile of spacesuits.

“That was... something,” he said, incredulously. He took a few moments to catch his breath and then exchanged glances with Chiaki and Kazuichi. His mouth split into a huge grin and he burst into laughter. Chiaki started to laugh too, and Kazuichi felt the urge tug at the corners of his mouth, though he bit it back as annoyance forced its way into the forefront of his thoughts.

“That was fucking crazy!” he snapped, rounding on Hajime. “What the hell was that? What the fuck?! Why the hell did you think that was a good idea?!” Hajime looked taken aback, and tried to speak, only to be cut off by Kazuichi. “I mean, you know I get _motion-sickness_!”

At his last word, Hajime let out a snigger and couldn't fight another wide grin. Kazuichi glared at him, unimpressed for a long moment, before his expression suddenly softened. He let out a deep sigh. “I guess it was... pretty smart though. Thank you.”

And without another thought he reached around to the back of Hajime's head and pulled him in for a kiss. Their lips met at full force, and it was a little clumsy, but it wasn't long-winded. Several long seconds, filled with relief and adrenaline and hormones, passed before they finally broke away from the kiss, and Kazuichi finally allowed himself a proper smile, despite the flush of his cheeks and what was either the remnants of motion-sickness or the flutter of butterflies in his stomach. Hajime's blush was less obvious against his dark, freckled skin but there was no denying the look on his face. The two of them stood, inches apart, blinking at one another in a weird mixture of elation and disbelief, before Nagito finally broke the silence.

“Well, that was interesting to say the least.”

Still sat on the edge of the large crate, Chiaki nodded in agreement. At Nagito's side, Mikan did the same. A strange glazed over look had came to her, and she steepled her fingers as she looked on.

“Um, well, anyway...” Kazuichi said, feeling incredibly flustered, “we survived.”

“Y-yes, what exactly was it th-that you did, anyway, Hajime?” Mikan asked, shaking her head a little as if coming out of a trance.

“I used the grav sphere to open a gravity tunnel from the airlock to as far as it could go,” Hajime said. “The Togami ship had a safeguard to provide oxygen in a sort of bubble within the airlock in case of emergency, so I just made sure that the air was moved into the gravity tunnel with us.”

“And we slid the chute to the end, like the Logic Dives in this one game-” Chiaki started.

“But did you get the shard?” Nagito asked. “The kibountium shard.”

“Chiaki has it,” nodded Hajime, and Chiaki took a few moments to dig around in one of the inside pockets of her hoodie, before she produced the small shard she had taken from the ship.

“That makes three,” Mikan said, happily.

“Halfway there,” nodded Chiaki. “Should we go see how Ibuki's doing with getting us away from the Togami ship?”

“That's probably a good idea,” Hajime said. “Let's get going.”

Chiaki hopped down from the crate and the three of them made their way to the steps that lead up to the raised platform above. Nagito and Mikan were already waiting by the door that lead to the central hub of the ship. They lead the way with Chiaki while Hajime and Kazuichi fell into step with each other, sharing awkward, embarrassed smiles with one another.

“So that was... something,” Hajime said again. Kazuichi nodded.

“I guess... I guess it was,” he agreed, quietly. “Wait, like a 'hey, wow, I'd do that again' something, or a 'chased, shot at, jumped out an airlock' something?”

“All of that was pretty good,” Hajime said with a small smile. Kazuichi drew his eyes off him and pouted, earning himself a gentle nudge in the ribs. “Don't be like that!”

“You're so lucky I didn't hurl,” Kazuichi informed him.

“If you'd have hurled and then kissed me I swear I'd have opened the storage hatch on you.”

“Bullshit,” scoffed the mechanic as they passed through the doorway into the flight deck. “You'd miss me too much.”

“You're probably right,” Hajime admitted, reaching his hand out to take Kazuichi's in his own. He gently pressed a kissed against Kazuichi's cheek, trying not to laugh as his face turned scarlet again. “Now, shut up, we've got work to do.”

 


	4. Thursday - The First Day of the Future

The sky had been blue the day before the future. Hajime had stood on the dock of the beach on the First Island and watched the retreating shape of the Future Foundation's boat, disappearing into the horizon. Makoto Naegi, Kyouko Kirigiri, and Byakuya Togami had remained on the island for only a matter of hours after their escape from the Neo World Program, ensuring that Hajime and his surviving friends were indeed alright following the climax of the final Class Trial, and they had discussed arrangements for the future of the former Remnants of Despair as they awaited a response from the other branch leaders of the Future Foundation.

The future was all that mattered now.

The future was all they really had.

Except one another.

* * *

The sky had been red the first day of the future. Hajime had sat on the dock of the beach on the First Island and gazed out across the ocean, watching the steady rhythm of the waves rising and falling as far as his now mismatched eyes could see. His disinterested gaze didn't change as he registered the soft pad of approaching feet against the sand.

“You're struggling with it, aren't you?”

Quiet and concerned, Kazuichi's question hung heavy in the tropical air, only to be discarded by a sudden breeze that had come from the direction of the sea. Hajime nodded his head wordlessly.

Kazuichi let out a short breath, as if he had been subconsciously holding it in, and slumped down onto the dock beside Hajime, leaving them almost shoulder-to-shoulder. Kazuichi's appearance hadn't changed much from how the avatar of his younger self had been displayed within the Neo World Program. His hair was slightly longer and wilder, visible without any beanie or baseball cap to cover the messily cut bangs, and he had several shining scars and burns across his body that sometimes gave him trouble if he moved too suddenly.

“What are you thinking about?” Hajime asks. He isn't sure why. There's no logic to asking. A small thought sparks in the back of his head: _there doesn't need to be logic._ He briefly wonders if that's a pre-Izuru thought surfacing.

Kazuichi seems a little startled by the question and he looks at Hajime with raised eyebrows.

“I... um...”

“You don't have to tell me.”

It's neither an assurance or a dismissal. Kazuichi looks troubled and turns back to gaze out across the dark ocean. His manner is much the way it had been in the virtual world, though perhaps less laidback. He fidgets with his braid and sighs.

“I've been thinking about us,” he says. “About how we were before. In there, I mean.”

He inclines his head slightly, and Hajime registers he's indicating the central island where the Neo World Program mechanisms are stored, still containing their comatose friends.

“In the virtual Island,” Hajime says. “Go on.”

“Well, um, my memories of before – while we were... you know...”

“While we were Remnants of Despair.”

“Yeah. My memories of back then don't really... don't really exist anymore,” Kazuichi sighs, rubbing his knuckles distractedly. “So all I really have to go on is the stuff before that, and the stuff after.”

“Alright.”

“You don't even know where I'm goin' with this yet!” Kazuichi groans. He takes a deep breath. “You were the closest person to me that whole time we were in there. You know that, right?”

This stirs something in Hajime – though he can't quite place it. Thinking back over all the time they were together, he supposes Kazuichi might be right. Kazuichi doesn't bother to wait for an answer, and continues.

“Well, you remember all the time we spent together, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, well, I've sorta been thinking – you remember how I totally flaked on you when we were trapped in the Funhouse, right?”

The strange sensation in Hajime's mind becomes stronger. He realises what it is now. Curiosity. Now that _is_ interesting. He even manages to raise an eyebrow.

“Yes,” he replies.

“Well, I've been goin' over that a whole lot since it happened, especially since we left that world, and... I just kinda realised that I never really apologised to you.”

“Apologised?”

Whatever Hajime had been expecting, this was not it.

“Yeah,” Kazuichi says, seriously. He leans forwards so he can look Hajime in the eye. “I was a total jerk to you. I mean, I even hung out with Nagito to keep away from you. How twisted is that?”

Hajime stays silent. He inspects Kazuichi's face thoroughly. His jaw is clenched a little, and his eyes seem to burn with something unidentifiable to Hajime in that moment. Not for the first time, he considers how less restrained his ability to understand other people and their emotions had been in the virtual world. Subconsciously, he lifts his hand and gently touches the scars hidden by his hair.

“-and y'know, like I can't stop imagining how shitty you must have felt when I was saying all that stuff about you being a traitor, and how much that must have hurt, because I _know_ how horrible it is to be betrayed like that. I told you that myself when we were hanging out before, y'know?” Kazuichi is on a full tirade now, gesticulating wildly as he speaks. “And Hajime, honestly I just need you to know how horrible I felt after all of that. And I know I can be a jerk, and I know that out here that's probably the last thing on your mind, but I just really want you to know how sorry I am, honest!”

His face is flushed now and his eyes have started welling up. Hajime takes this in with... is this confusion? The indifference he is accustomed to feels dislodged somehow. Kazuichi is looking at him with wet eyes. Hajime doesn't understand it himself but he has the urge to reach out for him.

And he did. Falling forward and wrapping a stunned Kazuichi in his arms. His face is over Kazuichi's shoulder, with Kazuichi's face over his own. It's awkward and warm and they fall into a rigid sort of symmetery with one another as Kazuichi's arms inch up to his waist.

“H-Hajime...”

Hajime shakes his head. His mind is racing as he tries to make sense of what he's doing. The conflict of who he was and who he is seems to course through his every thought. And if Kazuichi, the person he had arguably been closest with during their time together, couldn't help him piece something out of that, was there anything there to salvage?

“Have we ever hugged before?” Hajime asks. Neither of them have made any indication of pulling away yet.

“Um, I... I don't think we have,” Kazuichi stammers. “How come?”

“I wanted to know... if I should already know this feeling.”

Kazuichi leans back, and Hajime looks at him with a strange blank expression.

“I'm no good at this sort of thing, Hajime,” Kazuichi sighs, “but you know I'm here for you, right? We... we all are. We're trying to piece things back together, and that means we all gotta work with each other!” He moves his hand down to clasp Hajime's, and the other boy's gaze lowers to their entwined fingers, as if he was struggling to understand what the gesture was supposed to mean.

Kazuichi turns away and gazes out across the ocean, not letting go of his hand. Hajime inspects his face in profile, noting how the red sky casts dark shadows over his face. Like a ghost of memory is standing in the exact same spot as him. Hajime fights a sigh.

A ghost of memory...

_Does he see that in me?_

Hajime doesn't ask. He doesn't think he would like the answer. Perhaps the future makes everyone ghosts in the end.

The two boys look out across the sea, watching the red sky darken, as the first day of the future fades away.

It's a time for ghosts, Hajime thinks to himself.

Him and Kazuichi, at the beginning of the world...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally updated! I've been focusing a lot of my time on my NDR4 fic, but I've been adding in little bits and pieces to this when I have a bit of a block with the OC's... I just really love these two so much - I'm hoping on writing a longer story with them at some point, but for now here's something a bit short and a little melancholy...


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